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Columbia River Fishing

Columbia River Fishing- A guide to news, reports and information for Salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing for the Columbia River

Buoy 10 Salmon Fishing Continues

Lance and a happy customer showing off their native Chinook salmon caught at the Buoy 10 fishery.

Buoy 10 Update August 7th, 2023 – Chinook retention reopens tomorrow, September 8th, at the Buoy 10 fishery, and it’s not just open. It’s wide open! For the rest of the Buoy 10 season on the Columbia River, we can retain both hatchery and native Chinook as well as hatchery Coho salmon. We currently have […]

Final Countdown to Buoy 10 Fishing

Grandpa and granddaughters with Buoy 10 Salmon

It’s the final countdown to the Buoy 10 Salmon Season on the Columbia River, and we can’t wait to see what the 2023 season has in store for us. We’ve been looking forward to this popular fishery for months, and the time is finally here! The river opens for fall salmon fishing on Monday, August […]

Astoria Sturgeon Fishing – Tarpon of the Northwest

A nice big sturgeon from the Astoria estuary on the Columbia River

*July 2023 Update* Now through the first week of August may see some of the most action-packed days of sturgeon fishing of the year. We have three more weeks of Trophy Sturgeon fishing on the Columbia River in Astoria before we switch completely over to fall salmon fishing at Buoy 10.  Over the weekend we […]

Columbia River Spring Chinook Update

Spring Chinook caught on the Columbia River.

ODFW has just announced the closing of Spring Chinook fishing on the Columbia River. The original season was extended twice before being closed on May 31st, and we’re always appreciative of more water to fish. We’ll continue to fish for Chinook on the Willamette River, which offers some of the best Springer fishing in the […]

2023 Columbia River Summer and Fall Salmon Seasons Set

Beautiful Chinook Salmon at Buoy 10 on the Columbia RIver.

The 2023 Columbia River Summer/Fall Salmon and Steelhead seasons have been set. This is a joint effort with WDFW and takes some coordination each year. Increased numbers on this year’s fall salmon forecast are giving us a summer salmon season, a longer fall salmon season throughout the Columbia River, and a 3 fish bag limit […]

Portland Springers Are Here!

4 nice Spring Chinook salmon.

The flowering cherry trees that line Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park are in full bloom. To many, that is a sign that spring has come to Portland. The Spring Chinook Salmon, known as Springers, are arriving as well. These local favorites are stunning, in color, texture, and taste. If you’re looking to fire up the […]

Buoy 10 Fishing Forecast

3 guys and a gal with their Buoy 10 salmon

This is the time of year when Buoy 10 Salmon and ocean abundance numbers for Astoria begin to get tossed around in the Buoy 10 forecast. While numbers aren’t official, I’m hearing some really good things for this year’s possibilities. Like, REALLY good things. Chinook Salmon I’ll start with Chinook. We’re looking at a Preliminary […]

Columbia River Spring Chinook Salmon Season Set

A lady holding a nice spring chinook

2023 Columbia River Spring Chinook Salmon Season Set The 2023 Columbia River Spring Chinook Salmon season has officially been set. From March 1st – April 7th, the Columbia River will be open for Spring Chinook fishing from the Buoy 10 line in Astoria upstream to Beacon Rock. With the Cowlitz and Lewis River returns slightly […]

Columbia River Keeper Sturgeon Seasons

4 happy guys with their Columbia River keeper sturgeon

**UPDATE: No 2023 Sturgeon Retention in Astoria Due to the decline of juvenile sized sturgeon in proportion to the population, there will not be a keeper sturgeon season in Astoria in 2023. While being able to retain a white sturgeon may be on some bucket lists, not having a keeper sturgeon season this spring does […]

Columbia River Fishing Forecast – Spring and Summer Salmon

A nice spring chinook caught on the Columbia River

In the first of many forecasts to come over the next couple months, the Columbia River fishing forecast for Spring and Summer Summer was just released by ODFW. The preliminary numbers for the 2023 run are looking good, especially the Spring Chinook numbers over 300,000 and Summer Sockeye numbers over 200,000! Add in Summer Chinook […]